Voxfrock rookie Ashley Flockhart (below) discovers the motives behind photographer Gina Cawley‘s evocative work.
Voxfrock Rookie Ashley Flockhart makes notes in the heart of VAMFF, the Royal Exhibition Building . Photo: Monty Coles.
WORDS: ASHLEY FLOCKHART PHOTOGRAPHS: GINA MARIE CAWLEY
“My photography is primarily about shapes within the body and contours in the skin” says photographer Gina Cawley, “I really enjoy constantly taking photos, but I’m not a fashion photographer.”
Photo: Gina Cawley
Gina is part of RMIT adjunct professor of photography, Monty Coles‘ rookie crew at VAMFF. She drove all the way from her parent’s farm in NSW to be here.
Photo: Gina Cawley
Her motivations are mixed. Networking. The experience. Experimenting in different ways and angles to take photos. She wants it known her passions range well beyond fashion photography, to nature, flowers, botanica, and “documentary portraiture”.
Photo: Gina Cawley
At VAMFF, she often endeavors to capture the moment a model’s gaze is more expressive than the clothes they wear. “I am fascinated with the human body and psychology,” she says. “There are lots of sculptural parallels between our bodies and even the land we walk on which I always aim to capture.”
Photo: Gina Cawley
Gina’s artistic background determines a lot of her work. “I might like to shoot brands or clothing but it is more as an act of art,” she says. “Most of my work is very conceptual.”
Photo: Gina Cawley
Born in England, Gina studied sculpture and fine arts before moving to Australia to pursue photography in 2014. After her first year in a Bachelor of photography at RMIT, she shot her first VAMFF in 2016. She is now a freelance photographer.
Photo: Gina Cawley
Themes of light and structure and emotion run strongly through Gina’s portfolio. One photograph for example, a portrait of a woman in front of a snowy backdrop with her neck arched and a prominent scar on her collar bone, speaks to a primal dimension in humans who undergo physical pain. “This is my best friend after she broke her collar bone,” Gina explains. “And, seeing the scar as a raw element, in that way, is also a gritty effect I try to find in all the clothes I photograph.”
Photo: Gina Cawley
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